Lighter rod



H. C. LITTLE June 1, 1943.

LIGHTER ROD Filed May 1'7, 1941 Patented June 1, 1943 UNiTED STTES LIGHTER ROD Harry 0. Little, San Rafael, Calif. Application May 1'7, 1941, Serial No. 393,870

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a device for supporting a match for initially igniting the fuel in an oil burner of a floor furnace or the like.

In the conventional design of an on floor furnace the burner is located several feet below the air register grill, and a combustion chamber shell is located between the burner and such grill. Access to the burner is usually afforded by providing an opening or passage through the shell so that a lighted rag or match may be dropped through the grill and chamber and into the fuel vaporization or generation chamber of the burner. In some cases the rag or a wick is attached to the end of a long rod and so inserted through the furnace. These methods of lighting the burner have not proved satisfactory for the reason that when a wick is used, the rod must be left projecting into the burner chamber as ordinarily, withdrawal of the rod for extinguishing the wick is obviously objectionable; and when a match is used quite frequently it will, owing to the prevalence of a draft within the furnace, be extinguished before the vaporized fuel in the generator becomes ignited.

In view of the above, it is an object of my invention to provide a lighter means of the type arranged for application from the floor level at the top of the furnace, by which a match or the like may be firmly supported, and moved while lighted through the furnace without danger of becoming extinguished, and furthermore caused to beautomatically ejected from the means after the match enters the fuel chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means of the character described which will make easy the proper insertion and lighting of the match therein, insure proper and complete burning of the match, .and permit ready insertion and withdrawal of the means through the furnace without catching on the projecting parts on the interior of the furnace.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of a floor furnace, showing the device of my invention supported therein as when not in use.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device on a larger scale, with a portion of the device being broken away so as to reduce the size of the figure.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the parts in a'different Position.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken line 4-4 of Figure 2.

As illustrated in the drawing, the device I of my invention is arranged for use with a floor furnace 2 provided with a burner 3 of the oil burning type. The burner, including the fuel vaporizing or generating chamber 4, is located at the bottom of the furnace and is provided with a burner throat 5 which communicates with a combustion chamber defined by a shell 6 superimposed over the burner. The shell has its upper portion under and adjacent the grill or register plate 1 of the furnace, and is surrounded by inner and outer casings 8 and 9 which define warm and cold air circulating passages l2 and is respectively.

The device of my invention as shown in the drawing, comprises a member it for supporting and holding a match or the like, and a supporting rod I6 which carries the member l5 so that the operator may from above the grill register, extend and retract the member through the furnace and cooperate with the member to effect the ejection of the match when inserted in the fuel generator,

As will be clear from Figure 1, the member depends from the lower end of the rod, and the rod is of such length that when extended down through the furnace, th member may be inserted in the burner while a portion of the rod is left projecting above the grill. Passage of the rod and member through the furnace from the grill to the generator chamber is afforded by way of an opening IS in the shell, which is aligned with the burner throat and an enlarged opening i9 made available in the grill upon the removal of a grill section 2!. The opening [8 is normally closed by a plug 22 which may be released from the opening by means of a handle 23 extending close to the opening l9.

As will be clear from Figures 2 and 3, the member l5 comprises a body 2d having therethrough a bore 26 formed of portions 28, 29, and 3] of various diameters and arranged successively from the lower to the upper end of th body. The portions 28 and 29 are designed for the reception of a portion of the shank of a match 30 or on the the like, the sides of portion 28 being flared and arranged to guide the free end portion of the match into the bore portion 29 which is of such size as to receive and firmly hold said portion of the match and in such manner that the match will project downward longitudinally from the body. The rod I 6 has a portion 32 which extends through bore portion 3| of the body and slidably engages the side walls thereof. Inward longitudinal movement of the rod portion 32 is limited by engagement of a shoulder 33 thereof with a corresponding shoulder 33' at the inner end of bore portion 3|. Extending from the rod portion 32 and slidably engaging in the bore portion 29 is a plunger 34 which, when the rod and member l5 are in extended relation, assumes a retr-acted position in said bore portion so as to permit the match to engage therein as shown in Figure 2. On the other hand when the rod and member are moved together, the plunger is caused to project through bore portion 29 and partially into bore portion 28 so that the match if previously positioned in bore 29 will have been ejected from the body out through portion 28.

Means are provided on the member for causing the match to be shielded during movement through the furnace so that when lighted it will be protected from the drafts normally present in the furnace, and at the same time insure an ample supply of air for burning of the match. Secured to and extending downwardly from the body 242 and in longitudinal alignment with the bore axis, is a tubular extension 36 formed of a perforated or screen material so that air may enter therethrough into the space within the tube, yet prevent the passage of the deleterious drafts apt to extinguish the flame within the tube when the match is burning. The tube is of sufiicient internal diameter to permit the flame to spread as required and is long enough to shield the entire match when operatively held in the body. It will thus be clear that the proper burning of the match will be assured and at the same time the match will be shielded from contact with the furnace parts so that there will be no danger of the match becoming dislodged and prematurely dropped from the body. Preferably also, the tube is so formed and secured to the body that the outer circumferences of abutting portions of such parts will correspond and provide a smooth joint at the connection.

As will be understood, when the body is retracted on the rod, the plunger will be projected through the bore 29, and in order to readily permit such retraction when the match is held in the body, one or more legs 31 are provided on the tube or otherwise arranged, so that when the legs are rested upon an immovable object and the rod is then fully depressed, the match will be thereupon immediately ejected. In this manner when the device is extended down through the furnace and the rod depressed when the legs have contacted the bottom of the vaporizing pot, the match will be ejected as indicated in Figure 8 so that upon the subsequent withdrawal of the device from the chamber, the match will be released and allowed to consume with the fuel.

It may be noted that the legs 37 provide an additional shield for the match and at the same the proper and complete time are so designed that they will not interfere with the lighting of the match. Preferably the legs are formed as a part of a yoke 38 which straddles the body and tube and secured thereto as by spot welding. The closed end 39 of the yoke is spaced from the upper end of the body and forms an additional bearing for the rod l6 which passes through an opening 4| of the yoke. As will be evident, the yoke also provides considerable reenforcement for the tube, and its smooth surface and rounded closed end facilitates the unobstructed passage of the member through the furnace. A pin 42 on the rod is engageable with the yoke end 39 so as to limit the extension between the rod and body.

In using the device, the grill-section and closure plug are usually first removed. The device is then grasped by the Operator, the member l5 moved to extended position on the rod, and the match then inserted through the tube and into the bore 29. The match is then lighted and the device simply inserted through the furnace and operated as above set forth. When the device has been withdrawn from the furnace, it may be suspended in the cold air passage l3, the upper end of the rod being formed as a hook so as to permit the same to hang on the grill.

I claim:

1. In a lighter for a floor furnace oil-burner or the like, a match holder member comprising an elongated body with a bore extending therethrough from one end to the other and having one end portion formed to receive a match and hold same in longitudinal alignment with the bore axis, a tubular perforated member extending outwardly and longitudinally from the match receiving end of the body to provide an enclosure for the match when operatively held in the bore, means adjacent theinner end of the said tubular member for guiding the match into said bore portion aforesaid, an extension on said tubular member arranged to project beyond the match when operatively held in the body, a rod slidable longitudinally in said bore at the other end portion thereof and having a plunger movable into and out of the match engaging portion of the bore upon the reciprocation of the rod relative to the body member so as to eject the match or leave the bore free for reinsertion of a match, and means to limit the reciprocative movement of the body and rod in opposite directions.

2. In a lighter rod for a floor-furnace oilburner or the like, a match holder member comprising a body with a bore extending therethrough from one end to the other and having one end portion formed to receive a match and hold same in longitudinal alignment with the bore axis, a tubular perforated member extending outwardly and longitudinally from the match receiving end of the body to provide an enclosure for the match when operatively held in the bore, a yoke straddling and secured to said body and tubular member and having its closed end providing a bearing for said rod, said yoke having a portion at the open end thereof extending beyond the outer end of said tubular portion, and means to limit the relative longitudinal movement between the rod and body in opposite directions.

HARRY C. LITTLE. 

